Reality shows.

Well, the raccoons have, as they always do, won.

I built a screen room 8 x 8 near the back french doors of our dining area, resting on the deck, but not actually attached to the house. It's a "Florida Room", in a sense, which we call the Zinn Center.

J's love of everything raccoon has finally encouraged them to bolder moves. Starting with the nightly feedings of whatever was left over (and J's leftovers are as good as some restaurant's entrees), the bandits moved in. They would walk right past us when we were sitting around the firepit, on their way to the bar and grill. Eat at Joe's.

Next, they found there were tomatoes: bright red orbs that looked like Christmas balls. And even better, if you followed the vines up to the deck level, there was the intriguing sound of a fountain in one corner. Of course, ascending the tomato vines has its dangers. On two separate nights, the damn things broke off in a cascade of raccoon fur and greenery.

Arriving at the fountain, they found fish. Carpe diem. At least they looked like fish, but when they got them in their mouths they chomped down on plastic. And raccoon rage being what it is, they bit the nose and mouth off one of them, shredded the plastic water lilies, and flung the fish to the far reaches of the deck.

Tonight I took a closer look at the Zinn Center. I'm no Sherlock Holmes, but it was obvious that the torn and battered paper lantern that formerly swung from the center of the Center and now rested on top of one of the ceiling screen panels could only have gotten there by something breaking through the other screen and reaching in to haul the lantern to the top. Only one screen panel remains still firmly attached to the frame. The other is the same panel I had to repair when one of our temporarily adopted cats decided to have a sleepover.

So plans are afoot to replace the top with a new screen, then build a framed roof with clear acrylic panels that can be raised to let the heat dissipate, and the whole to be covered with the tarp to act as a heat shield when necessary. If not, then at least some combination of materials that will let heat out, cool air in, and provide a visual path to the wonders of the summer sky. It was 110 degrees in there late this afternoon.

Raccoons are not to blame, of course. They are cute, intelligent, curious creatures with a love of anything new or shiny or food-looking. They pull things apart in order to better understand them.

They're so much like grandchildren.